Transfer Services

Florida State College provides many resources for students who plan to transfer after graduating from Florida State College.

Excess Hours Advisory

In 2009, the Florida Legislature implemented Section 1009.286, Florida Statutes to encourage students to complete their baccalaureate degree as quickly and efficiently as possible. It established what is commonly referred to as an "Excess Credit Hour Surcharge." The bill requires universities to add a surcharge to each credit hour taken in excess of the total number of credit hours required to complete the degree being pursued. The amount in excess of the total hours is calculated based on a percentage defined in law.

For the 2012-1013 academic year and thereafter, “excess hours” are defined as hours that go beyond the 110% of the hours required for a baccalaureate degree program. For example, if the length of a program is 120 credit hours, the student may be subject to an excess hour surcharge for any credits attempted beyond 132 credit hours (110% x 120).

Under Florida law, the following credit hours count towards Excess Credit Hours:

  • Failed courses
  • Hours dropped after the University's drop/add period
  • Courses from which a student withdraws
  • Repeated courses. Exception: repeated courses for which the student has paid the repeat course surcharge as provided in Section 1009.285, Florida Statutes
  • All credit earned at another institution and accepted for transfer and applied toward the baccalaureate degree program

Under Florida law, the following credit hours do not count towards Excess Credit Hours:

  • College credit earned through articulated accelerated mechanisms such as AP, IB, CLEP, AICE, or dual enrollment
  • Credit hours earned through internship
  • Credit hours required for certification, recertification, or certificate programs
  • Courses from which the student withdraws for reasons of medical or personal hardship
  • Credit taken by active-duty military personnel
  • Credit hours taken to achieve a dual major while pursuing a baccalaureate degree
  • Remedial and English-as-a-second-language credit hours
  • Credit hours earned while participating in a Reserve Officer's Training Corps (ROTC) program
Frequently Asked Questions
What credit hours count towards Excess Credit Hours?
  • Failed courses.
  • Hours dropped after the  drop/add period
  • Courses from which a student withdraws
  • Repeated courses. Exception: repeated courses for which the student has paid the repeat course surcharge
  • All credit earned at another institution and accepted for transfer and applied toward the baccalaureate degree program
What credit hours do not count towards Excess Credit Hours?
  • College credit earned through articulated accelerated mechanisms such as AP, IB, CLEP, AICE, or dual enrollment
  • Credit hours earned through internship
  • Credit hours required for certification, recertification, or certificate programs
  • Courses from which the student withdraws for reasons of medical or personal hardship
  • Credit taken by active-duty military personnel
  • Credit hours taken to achieve a dual major while pursuing a baccalaureate degree
  • Remedial and English-as-a-second-language credit hours
  • Credit hours earned while participating in a Reserve Officer's Training Corps (ROTC) program
What if I am pursuing a dual majors/degree?
For the purpose of calculating your “excess hours”, the credits earned toward either a dual degree or a dual major are all included in the total. It might be possible to separate your credit, but only in cases where documentation exists that the credit in question counts only to the second major or dual degree and cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements for the primary program. If you anticipate pursuing a dual major or degree and think you may encounter this situation, you are encouraged to talk with your academic advisor about your Excess Credit Hour situation.
Are second bachelor's degrees included?
Second bachelor's degrees are not excluded from the Excess Credit Hour law.
What about internships?
A university will exclude internship hours automatically from your excess credit total whenever possible. However, it is not always possible to identify internship on the academic record of a student, especially when taken at another institution. Cooperative educational experiences, directed individual studies, and other one-on-one instructional course are not considered internship under this law.
What about credit for certification?
Courses that are part of the class instruction preparation for a professional certification exam, may be excluded from your excess credit total. Examples of these might be a computer science class that prepares you for a Microsoft certification exam, or a foundational education class that prepares you for a teacher certification exam. In these cases, the one specific course that prepares you for the exam may be excluded from your total, but not all courses in the degree program.
What about credit I earned while on active duty military?
All credit earned while on active duty is exempt from the Excess Credit Hour law.
Do graduate courses count?
Graduate courses are included in your Excess Credit Hour count if they are being used toward your baccalaureate degree. Credit that is only used for the graduate degree will be excluded.
Can a college or university waive the Excess Credit Hours fee?
No, an institution cannot waive the fee. The language of the statute is mandatory.

 

Transfer Preparation

Need help in deciding where to transfer? Would you like helpful checklists to assist in the process of selecting the transfer institution and submitting an application?

This Web page links to many resources, including a Transfer Planning Checklist to help you select your preferred transfer institution and major. Once you have made your selection, the Web page also provides a Transfer Application Checklist.

Transfer Problems? If you’ve recently graduated from Florida State College and are experiencing problems trying to transfer to a university, Florida State College’s Student Transfer Advocacy Team (STAT) may be able to help. You can access the STAT system by logging into your Connections account and selecting the Transfer Advocacy link.

Associate in Arts Transfer Majors

All associate in arts degree students are encouraged to select an intended transfer major, in order to enroll in the appropriate prerequisite courses needed for transfer to an upper division college or university.

Articulation and Transfer Agreements

Florida State College has negotiated Articulation and Transfer Agreements to facilitate the transfer of credits earned at Florida State College to bachelor degree completion programs at many colleges and universities.

You may search for articulation and transfer information based on several different options. For the list and explanation of the search options, see the transfer agreement page.

Tuition Discounts and Scholarships

Find out about tuition discounts and transfer student scholarships available to Florida State College graduates and employees through our articulation agreements and statewide partnerships.

Incoming Transfer Students

If you are an incoming transfer student to Florida State College, please visit the Transfer to Florida State College web page.